SWEDISH fashion brand Axel Arigato has launched Eris today – a new unisex sneaker that marks its main footwear release of the year.
A label known for its clean design with a streetwear influence, the Eris embraces a statement, chunky design, following the recent launches of the Slow and Tact runners and draws on a decade of design development.
Expect interlocking curvy suede panels, each pair hand-distressed to give a unique look, along with tonal stitching, contrast nylon ribbing and a sandpaper-effect print to highlight the contours. They’re topped off with dipped laces and finished with a branded gel bubble.
Eris Sneakers
To celebrate the release, Creative Director Jens Werner has taken a new approach with this Eris campaign, which pairs each debut colourway with a female musician, whose work crosses genres and defies easy categorisation, just like these sneakers.
Yellow is represented by Dutch-English artist Bea, known for her ethereal vocals, Charcoal is linked to Camille Jansen, a Paris-based musician, model and photographer known for her acoustic music, while Blue is tied to American artist Ana Roxanne, who combines meditative music with analogue synthesis.
Shot by photographer Georgia Davey Smith and motion director Juana Wein, the campaign gives a behind-the-scenes look at each artist’s process, and viewers step into the ‘psychological green room’ aka a space between preparation and performance.
Bea in Yellow Eris
Camille Jansen in Grey Eris
For further meaning, costume pieces and sculptural props are brought to you by long-time Axel Arigato collaborator Jon Buck, and these include a rubber blazer, a cement bomber, and a towering mould that each artist emerges from, on what the brand says, turning traditional ideas of femininity and creative control on their head.
“Eris has become a symbol of modern defiance and unapologetic self-expression,” says Werner. “It tells a complex story without needing words, where the design speaks to the truth of identity and emotion. Working with Bea, Camille and Ana allowed us to explore that spirit through their eyes and voices.”
by Felicity Carter
The campaign will launch with a three-part event series in key cities. The first release of the Eris sneaker, in three colour-ways will be available in all Axel Arigato stores from today, priced at £310. A second drop, featuring men’s sizing and additional colour-ways, will follow on the 11 June 2025.